Our perfectly planned itinerary’s spanner came in the form of Jetstar cancelling its flight from Auckland. This was their last flight for the day, and since we we had to reach Queenstown the same day for a tour, we had to book an Air New Zealand at a price high enough for my kidneys to fear separation. Small consolation – we reached earlier than planned.
Where to stay in Queenstown
And used a bus (instead of the planned Uber) to get to the Rendezvous Heritage Hotel, which practically had its own bus stop. With a Bee card, this did make our life easier.
The serious-looking receptionist didn’t exactly make us feel welcome, but the room made up for it…
…with one of the best views we’ve had in a long time. Sigh. Even the average breakfast, and the confusing messaging about water could only do so much damage. “You can drink tap water, but the tap is in the loo, so I am not sure I should tell you to drink tap water. A bottle will be $5”
What to Do/Where to go in Queenstown
A short bus ride will get you to town.
Or, y’all could walk.
Either way, you reach the really pretty town. And it has excellent public toilets.
Our first trip was to Glenorchy with Altitude Tours. Half a day. Our spirited tour guide was named Do, and our first stop was Bennets Bluff Lookout, which was a conversation choker and a sigh starter.
Glenorchy is tiny, and makes you go ‘aww’ at each turn with its little library, tiny church and so on.
It is really difficult to describe how beautiful this place is, and how impossible it is to get bored even if you see it for a few days.
The Remarkables – called so because they run north to south and can serve as a compass. “Remarkable” is the appropriate response. And that’s your screensaver in this part of the world.
Do stopped at multiple places so we could sigh and shoot.
The last stop was a place whose name wasn’t surprising. It has starred in MI – The Final Reckoning, LOTR, Wolverine and so on.
This is probably my favourite shot from the trip.
On the map, this place and Milford Sound aren’t far apart, but they nixed a plan to drill through the mountains. It is amazing how clear they are about preserving nature.
That forest view leads to the tree view.
The Queenstown Bay Beach area is a fine place to hang around in the evening.
And then you could continue to the gardens.
And the Harbour View Walk, and sit on one of the benches to have a long conversation about aging together 🙂
Our full day trip to Milford Sound with Sonia from Cheeky Kiwi began early. That means watching a glorious sunrise!
and the traces of it at Devil’s Staircase
Alpacas for breakfast. No, we don’t get to eat them, but could meet them at our breakfast stop. Our instructions were “do whatever you want, but first go to the loo”, thanks to this being a regular tourist stop.
Perfect weather, though Sonia did warn that it wouldn’t last. It didn’t, but a rainbow kept following us, after we reached the Southland region.
The clouds ensured we didn’t see the mountains reflected in the Mirror Lakes, but we didn’t mind. It was pretty anyway.
Lake Gunn looked straight out of a movie. Though that isn’t saying much because that’s almost all of New Zealand!
Waterfalls on demand. i.e. only when it rains
And, the destination. Milford Sound met us wet, wild, and furious. The rains were crazy. Apparently it rains here 200+ days in the year.
Many of the cruises had been canceled, but our captain was brave enough to venture out. But 10 minutes into it, people were complaining about how choppy it was. All my empathy is futile when I think of old people who get into such rides. What really was the expectation?
Though, to be fair, people were falling around inside the boat too. Fiordland, from the 30 mins we met, did look a bit like its northern cousin. But angry. I think I will remember the 10 mins or so that I spent on the deck trying to hold on to something and the mobile as moments when I really felt alive.
Where to eat in Queenstown
Before I forget, you could use First Table to get a few good deals. Even if you don’t get deals, you can still book a regular table. Experience has taught us to always book a table especially if your skin is brown.
Blue Kanu is an excellent Polynesian and Asian fusion restaurant to start with.
Zero alcohol beers are always welcome, though D didn’t bother.
Pan seared scallops with chilli soy, garlic, ginger and sesame to begin with.
The Fijian Chicken Curry with beans, taro root, egg plant and toasted coconut, was delicious. The unfortunate problem with generous portion sizes is our limited appetite cannot handle more!
First Table got us a 50% discount at Tanoshi.
Asahi 0.0. So cool!
D got a fancy Kirin Hyoketsu Lemon – a popular Japanese-style pre-mixed vodka, soda, and lemon juice drink.
Spicy ramen with shredded chicken. Always a good feeling.
The katsudon (pork cutlet) is a very good bet too.
Another place we got a 50% discount was Momentos By The Lake. Fantastic service, and it’s right on the promenade. For Stella, I’ll ditch zero. D got herself a mulled wine.
The Grilled Scallops were excellent.
The Venison dish was so delicious that it even got me to consume some enemies (cauliflower and beetroot)!
No discount here. And for once, we hadn’t reserved. That meant writing your name on a board and waiting.
We had hoped to get some Makgeolli, but had to make do with Soju. Buuut, it was quite good, and zero sugar!
Carnage began with spicy stir-fried squid, which I absolutely loved…
…and continued with Kimchi stew with pork. D liked this one more.
Ah, yes. This is one of the rituals in Queenstown, that both locals and tourists experience – standing in a queue for Fergburger. There will always be a queue – its length varies. At 10.30, we were reasonably lucky.
The burger, I can definitely vouch for.
Of course desserts! And Patagonia has enough flavours to wow you.
Greedy D polished off half her strawberry before I even took out the camera. Ok, I ate some of my dark chocolate too.
Before we leave for Christchurch, one last shot.
If there is one place you could go to in New Zealand, I’d easily vote for Queenstown. It is expensive, and a bit touristy, but for the views, food, and the overall sense of calm, I’d hugely recommend it.
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